How to Choose the Right Wedding Venue

While every step of wedding planning plays a role in crafting your big day, choosing a venue is one of the most important decisions to make. However, with all the pressures of finding a perfect space in a world full of options, you can easily become overwhelmed. So, in order to scrap the confusion and save your time, we have compiled a list of important things you should consider before deciding on the perfect venue for your special day.

Budget

The first step in any kind of wedding planning is constructing a wedding budget. Sit down with your partner and your family and discuss the amount you are able to spend on making your dream wedding a reality. Once you get your preliminary budget on paper, it will be easier to search for a venue that is in your price range and that fulfills all of your requirements.

Capacity

After deciding on a budget, create a tentative wedding guest list with your partner. While it’s obvious to spot a venue that will be too small for bigger crowds, a lot of couples make the mistake of booking a venue which is too large for their guest count, making it hard to create a full and intimate space. That is why it is important to have at least a rough estimate of the number of your guests, in order to find a perfect venue that can accommodate everyone.

Style and theme

One of the most important aspects of choosing a venue is making sure it compliments your wedding style and theme. Ultimately, this comes down to your personal preferences and who you are as a bride. If you are a formal bride who dreams of a classic wedding, venues like hotels, ballrooms and stately homes might be the best option for you. If you are planning a hip, modern wedding, however, a venue such as the Caves Road Collective will be the perfect option for you.

Food and drinks

Most venues nowadays offer their own catering and bar services, which may seem like one less thing to worry about when planning a wedding, but that often significantly raises the price of the whole experience. If you are on a tighter budget, a good idea would be to search for lower-cost outside vendors and work with them on selecting the perfect wedding menu for your venue.

Location

Apart from destination weddings, where some travel elements are built into the event, an important detail you should be aware of is the venue’s accessibility. Consider a place that can be reached easily with straightforward directions that even the people who are unfamiliar with the area can understand. This becomes especially important if you end up with two separate venues for your ceremony and reception. If a number of your guests are travelling from afar, another thing you should consider is accommodation at your venue or nearby.

Parking

In this day and age, parking is an incredibly important factor when it comes to choosing a wedding venue, which is why you should try to book a venue with plenty of easily accessible parking spaces. If that is not an option, make sure to tell all of your guests about entry points to parking lots near the venue. You may also want to suggest carpooling or opt for a shuttle service that transports the guests to and from the venue.

Making it official

Keep in mind that nothing is official unless it is on a signed contract. You shouldn’t sign the contract before carefully reading through its contents and you shouldn’t make the payment unless your chosen date is clearly stated on the paper. Apart from this, you should go through the venue’s cancelation policy, in case you happen to cancel or move the ceremony somewhere else. As they say, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Choosing the right venue for your wedding day ultimately comes down to your intuition. If you can’t stop stressing about it and it keeps you up at night, it’s all wrong. If it fits perfectly into your vision of your dream day and you’ve done your due diligence, then it’s most likely the right place for you.